1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to cargo handling and particularly to the horizontal movement of cargo containers and pallets, in various directions, over the floor of an aircraft; and wherein retractable power driven wheels or tires are raised for engaging the undersurface of the cargo containers and pallets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The subject matter of this application is related to the subject matter of U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,975 by Herbes et al issued Sept. 7, 1976. The patented power drive unit uses a double cam arrangement, wherein, one of the cams is fixedly mounted to airplane structure. Tolerance control between the interface of the power drive unit and mating hardware mounted on airplane structure results in functional reliability problems and difficulty in adjusting the mating hardware.
The device defined by this application is a self-contained mechanism of modular construction, that is designed to be inserted into an annular opening in the floor of the airplane, with the only airplane interface requirement being a torque reaction fitting and an electrical connection.